14 Facts About Brion Gysin

Brion Gysin was a British-Canadian painter, writer, sound poet, performance artist and inventor of experimental devices.

Brion Gysin is best known for his use of the cut-up technique, alongside his close friend, the novelist William S Burroughs.

John Clifford Brian Brion Gysin was born at the Canadian military hospital in Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England.

Brion Gysin's mother, Stella Margaret Martin, was a Canadian from Deseronto, Ontario.

Brion Gysin joined the Surrealist Group and began associating with Valentine Hugo, Leonor Fini, Salvador Dali, Picasso and Dora Maar.

Brion Gysin's goal was to research, at the University of Bordeaux and in the Archivo de Indias in Seville, Spain, the history of slavery, a project that he later abandoned.

Brion Gysin moved to Tangier, Morocco, after visiting the city with novelist and composer Paul Bowles in 1950.

In 1954 in Tangier, Brion Gysin opened a restaurant called The 1001 Nights, with his friend Mohamed Hamri, who was the cook.

Brion Gysin hired the Master Musicians of Jajouka from the village of Jajouka to perform alongside entertainment that included acrobats, a dancing boy and fire eaters.

Brion Gysin lost the business in 1958, and the restaurant closed permanently.

Brion Gysin kicked his habit with Apomorphine and flew off to London to see Dr Dent, who had first turned him on to the cure.

Brion Gysin helped Burroughs with the editing of several of his novels including Interzone, and wrote a script for a film version of Naked Lunch, which was never produced.

Between December 1974 and April 1975, Brion Gysin had to undergo several surgeries, among them a very traumatic colostomy, that drove him to extreme depression and to a suicide attempt.

In 1985 Brion Gysin was made an American Commander of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.